Humming Hallelujah
by kaljara
Summary: As an illegitimate child, Indiana Connelly's life has never been easy. And as if being raised by a single mother wasn't enough of a struggle, Indi's world is flipped upside down when her twin brother Ian is diagnosed with cancer. When help is offered by her estranged half-brother, Jordan Parrish, Indi readily accepts his suggestion for her and Ian to move to Beacon Hills. Pre-S5
1. Chapter 1

Humming Hallelujah

Prologue

Heavy boots met creaky wooden floorboards as a man entered his motel room, briefcase clutched firmly in his hands. He put it down carefully, almost reverently, on the coffee table by his window, eyes darting around the room. For half a moment, it looked as though the shadows on the walls were creeping toward him. The image dispelled as he blinked, but it didn't get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that had settled on his skin.

The man opened his briefcase and lifted out a large stack of folders, meticulously alphabetized. There was a shuffling of paper against paper as the man dug through the pile before him, fingers twitching when they finally landed on the files he had been searching for. He flipped open the first manila folder, eyes scanning the page hungrily.

_Indiana Eloise Connelly, age 18. Red hair, blue eyes._

_Height:5'7. Lived in Fresno, CA, since birth._

_Illegitimate daughter of one Cameron Parrish. _

_Treated at the Bellum Center for anxiety_

_disorder 2 years prior to report. Currently an_

_Unknown. No threat detected._

He knew the girl was an Unknown, but as for her brother-it was hard to tell with him. He was far more predictable, but also very removed. He like to keep to himself, and that could be dangerous. The man flipped the girl's folder shut and quickly opened the boy's, becoming more intrigued as he read.

_Ian Edmund Connelly, age 18. Red hair, green eyes._

_Height:5'11. Lived in Fresno, CA, since birth._

_Illegitmate son of one Cameron Parrish._

_Diagnosed with nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's lymphoma _

_1 month prior to report. Currently an Unknown. No_

_threat detected._

The boy was ill, on the brink of being terminally ill, he could see as he flipped through the thick wad of papers resting on his lap. The boy had stage IIIB Hodgkin's lymphoma-it would be a miracle if he lived another six months without the proper treatment. And of course, the Connellys didn't have the money for that. A shame, really, since the boy had so much pontential...

The man dropped the folder onto the coffee table in front of him and began to pace, his black overcoat billowing up behind him like some demented night creature. The motel room was alarmingly dark, save the eerie glow of the blinking neon sign outside. The Glen Capri was as dismal as ever, but he had grown accustomed to it over the years.

He had not, however, grown accustomed to such a serious case as this. The man pushed up his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose, finally taking a seat on the edge of the musty bed. The Connelly files lay on top of the now-haphazard pile of other files, the most important in a sea of meaningless words and dates and lives. The man kicked off his shoes and stripped off his scarf and overcoat, deciding that sleep, while it was torturous for him at times, was the best option he had at the moment.

There was, of course, that nagging little voice in the back of his head, warning him against getting too caught up in a world that wasn't designed for him. But of course, keeping tabs on the Unknowns had been his job since before he could remember. It was him, essentially. Yet something about the twins' case struck him oddly. It sent a dull twisting sensation through his whole body, like his conscious was trying to warn him against delving any further. He, of course, didn't listen.

He rubbed the sweat from his upper lip and slowly walked toward the coffee table again. Flipping further into each file, his eyebrows furrowed when his gaze skimmed over a picture of the twins' parents, and a separate picture of their half-brother. His breath caught in his throat. How had he missed it before? There was no way it was some God-awful coincidence. He had been given the two files for a specific reason, though someone else could have just as easily taken one to analyze. Was it a reward that he had gotten both...or a punishment?

The man shut each Connelly file heavily, as though something was physically hindering him from doing so. That was enough realization and horror for tonight, he decided. When he finally crawled into bed, pulling the outdated orange paisley covers to his chest, the man let out a long, agonized sigh. Even when he closed his eyes, he could see the scowl of Indiana Connelly in his mind, the way that her gray-blue eyes were narrowed in disdain. There was something in those eyes, something dark that not even she could see. He shivered involuntarily and tried to relax, but he couldn't help but wonder if the 'not a threat' line in the girl's file was as accurate as his superiors believed.

**WARNING: THIS IS SIMPLY A TIDBIT OF SOMETHING THAT WON'T ACTUALLY START UNTIL SEASON 5 OF TEEN WOLF BEGINS. I hope you all are intrigued, because there is much more to come for Indi and Ian. Thanks for reading! **

**-Harley xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: i'm a loaded gun, bang, bang

I never thought of death if I could avoid it. It was almost as if lingering on the thought of it brought misfortune, yet it was always there in the back on my mind, ready to be broached and thoroughly analyzed. I feared the thought, and so, it sought me out, prodding and prying. Death was a threat that was constantly looming next to me, but being dead and going through the process of dying were two very different things, I had come to learn. And it made it that much worse when it wasn't you doing the dying, but someone who was close to you. I wanted to live so much and so ferociously that the world around me couldn't stand it-it had to crush the ones I loved in retaliation, just a little bit, smother them just enough to break me...

And oh, the world broke me in the worst ways sometimes.

But I couldn't think about that now. Tonight was supposed to be a night dedicated to fun, free of worry.

Which would have been easier to accept if my best friend didn't have a knife in such close proximity to her face.

There was an athame balanced on one of Aella's fingers, and she stared at it intently, her mouth pulled into an elaborate frown. The knife seemed perfect to me-it's double-edged bronze blade gleamed in the dim lighting, and the hilt, glossy and black, had only been grasped once before-but Aella didn't seem pleased.

"Iron is better," she mumbled decidedly, grabbing the athame with her other hand and bringing it even closer to her face to examine. She twisted a strand of her teal hair around her fingers, getting it woefully tangled, and then finally, her dark eyes met mine. "You're lucky I love you, kid."

I stared, pulling the cigarette I had been nursing out from between my lips. My eyebrows were lost in my tumbleweed of red hair. Aella's words were almost accusing, as if was my fault she hadn't gotten an iron ritual knife. I didn't look into it too much, though-Aella was always saying odd things with varying inflections in her voice, and I had learned at a young age that it was best not to question what she meant.

I blew out a lungful of smoke from between pursed lips and said nothing, simply watching as she set the knife down in front of her. Aella was the only one who could get away with calling me 'kid'-it had been a running gag since she had first met me in third grade. She had been convinced that I was a few years, not a few months, younger than her because of my height and general scrawniness. She only ever called me 'kid' now when she was feeling exasperated with me-'Indi' was saved for normal conversation, and 'Indiana' was used to mock our teachers' insistent use of my full name.

Aella's dark eyes went up to the ceiling. "Goddess help me, you are dense. What did I say about smoking before the consecration ritual, Indi?"

I gave a sheepish smile and put my cigarette out in the blue stained-glass ashtray in front of me, watching as Aella leaned forward to get all of her materials ready. Over the years, I had grown accustomed to watching Wiccan rituals of many kinds, but they never ceased to fascinate me. There was something lovely and foreign about each one, so different from my own rigid Catholic religion that I couldn't help but be intrigued.

Aella crossed her legs and sorted through each of the items: there was incense, a small cup of water, a bowl of salt, and a small white candle laying beside her athame on a stool in front of her, each one representing the four directions and elements. Aella had already cast her circle, and she sat in the center of it, using the stool as her alter. I shifted my position on her silk-sheeted bed so I could see what was happening. Aella's circle was around three-feet wide, and each direction was marked by a colored candle. She had instructed me to stay on the bed so I wouldn't disrupt the process, which I had agreed to, but out of habit, I had broken another one of her rules and lit a cigarette before a ritual.

To be honest, Aella didn't really seem to mind all that much. She gave me a quirky smile and pushed her aquamarine waves behind her shoulder. "Ready, Indi?" I nodded, tapping Morse code onto the upper thighs. Excitement sparked in my chest, and I felt myself leaning forward again, peering over at my best friend in anticipation. Aella pulled a packet of matches from her shredded black skinny jeans and struck one against the wood floor. I watched, mesmerized, as she lit the incense and then the candle, pausing for a moment as the incense wafted through the air and got rid of all traces of my smoke.

Aella climbed to her feet, and I could practically feel the energy humming through the room. She turned North, the athame clutched in her hands now, and passed it over the bowl of salt three times, murmuring: "_Powers of the North, Guardians of the Earth, I consecrate this knife of bronze and charge it with your energies. I purify it this night, and make this tool sacred."_

Aella went clockwise, turning to the incense, then the candle, and then the water, murmuring each line accordingly as she went. She moved fluidly, like a dancer, and then, at the end, she lifted to athame above her head. "_Great Lord, bless this athame, let it be pure for thy service and bind it so no harm may come to any being through its use. Lord, bless this athame, that it be used always in the worship and honor of the One." _Aella paused for a moment, her smile no longer so odd. It was soft now. "_Lady, bless this athame, that it may bring forth joy and purity, and through its use may no harm come to any being. I dedicate this athame, to thy service, Great One. So mote it be!"_

I made sure to stay absolutely silent as Aella worked backward to close the circle around her, quietly thanking the invoked deities as she blew out each candle, her newly-consecrated athame pointed outward.

When she was finished, she looked over at me and laughed. "How do you still manage to look starstruck after all this time?" she smirked, gathering all the ritual items into her arms so she could place them in the rickety cabinet in the corner of her room. Her long hair swayed at her shoulder blades as she turned around and went to work organizing. I hopped off of her bed and folded my arms over my chest, giving an indignant huff.

"Trust me, if you had been reciting Hail Marys and sitting through hours-long Mass for most of your life, you would understand."

Aella laughed again and shook her head, turning to me so she could cock one perfectly-shaped eyebrow. "Whatever you say, loser. Ready for pizza? Bea said we could order in if you want to..." Her statement was abruptly drowned out by my phone phone screeching its generic ringtone. Embarrassed, I held up my finger and answered, my heart hammering hard in my chest after I checked the caller ID.

"Mom? Is everything alright?"

There was an intake of breath from the other end of the line, and then my mother said: "No, Indi, it's-Ian called me, and he didn't sound good on the phone. I'm at work, sis, or I would go check on him..." My mother's words were pitchy and anxious, and I could feel my heart constricting in my chest. My brother wasn't alright, especially if he had called my mother while she was at work. He was too stubborn to admit that he needed help, but my mother and I refused to let him suffer alone. The cancer may have been taking a little of him piece by piece, but my twin was still here, now. And I needed him to stay that way.

"I'll go home," I told my mother immediately, forgetting all about Aella's ritual and our pizza plans. I stared straight ahead at the maroon-painted wall, fighting back tears. I wasn't good at this, trying to be strong. I'd always had Ian to shield me from the worst that the world had to offer. But as it turned out, he couldn't shield me from anything this time.

My mother sighed in relief. "Thank you, Indi. Aella can stay over if she wants, since I know you both had plans tonight. Make sure you thank Bea, too, for letting you stay," she added hurridly. Bea was Aella's older cousin and her guardian-she was also the High Priestess of their coven and like a sister to Aella. I assured my mom I would thank her and then hung up, feeling drained.

Aella moved toward me slowly, her pursed lips the same color as the walls around us. She was saying something, but there was a distinct buzzing noise in my head, familiar and terrifying. Aella curled her fingers around my wrist and I looked down at her hand. Her fingernails were painted a deep plum, almost black, and the paint was starting to chip. "Indi?" Her grip was gentle. "Did you hear me? Is it Ian?"

My insides were twisting themselves into complicated knots that not even the most skilled Boy Scout could untangle. "It's Ian. I need to-I need to go home, but my mom said you could come with me if you wanted." I pushed the thick fringe of my bangs out of my eyes and continued to stare down at Aella's fingers around my wrist, unable to meet her gaze. I wasn't ashamed of my brother's illness-I was ashamed of my own reaction. There was no way for me to take bad news without almost losing it again, was there? Everything brought me close to the cliff that I had been toeing all of my life.

"It's fine," Aella said, and I wasn't sure whether she meant me having to leave or my near-breakdown. I suppose it didn't matter either way. "I'll come with you, okay? We can order pizza, and then I'll call Kai and have him pick up some Chinese food from that place by his house so we can drown in double the greasy goodness." Aella released my wrist and bumped my shoulder, and I felt the lightheartedness in the gesture. I finally looked up and offered her a tiny smile, wanting to reassure her. She worried about me, I knew, but she had become the master of hiding it for fear that it would set off my own anxiety.

Aella let her own smile quirk her lips to the side, and then she set to work packing clothes to stay the night with me. Her bag had been knitted out of several bright colors of yarn-lime green and pastel blue mixed with a few streaks of orange here and there. The bag had seen it all-day trips to the beach and night trips to abandoned buildings where we had climbed to the roof to watch the stars, long car rides and all our days in high school. Still, Aella managed to stuff it to full capacity with her clothes and makeup and toiletries. The bag may have been a bit ragged, but it still held everything that she needed.

I chewed on my nails as I watched Aella pack, my thoughts skittering back to Ian. Ian, who was home alone and didn't sound so good. I accidentally bit into the quick of my nail and drew blood. The irony tang wouldn't leave my tongue even when I swallowed and pulled my fingers away from my mouth.

Aella slung her bag onto her back, holding onto one strap and nodding to the door. I pushed a her fairylights, which were always haphazardly hanging in front of the doorway, out of my path and made my way down the narrow hallway to the kitchen.

The Mavers household was cramped but comfortable, full of musty books and old pictures and odd furniture that was mismatched. The kitchen was my favorite place, even though there was barely room to move around. Instead of having her bookshelf in the den like Aella had suggested numerous times, Bea had decided that the kitchen was a much more appropriate place for it. It stood tall and full beside the refrigerator, an unintentional statement. Bea often read while cooking, whether it was for entertainment, cooking instructions, or for general information. Besides the bookshelf, there was a large mahogany table in the center of the room, carved with intricate designs down each of the legs. There were herbs and plants covering every inch of the counter space-thyme and ginger bottles were stacked next to a tiny cactus by the coffee pot, and there was oregano and rosemary balanced by the Venus flytrap in the windowsill above the sink.

Aella sighed when she came up behind me. "This place is a mess."

To be honest, that wasn't really the truth. Everything was organized and had its own specific spot, but because there was just so much of _everything_, Aella tended to see the clutter as a mess. Bea thought it made the house seem cozy, and I had to agree. I leaned against one the heavy chairs that was positioned around the kitchen table and looked around. There were no pots or pans bubbling on the stove tonight, so Bea must have stepped out for a bit. That would explain her suggestion for us to order pizza, since Aella rarely ever got to eat fast food. Even though there were no pans out, there were signs that someone had eaten. Several hot wings rested on a porcelian plate by the sink, and next to them, a box of Captain Crunch was crushed so it was barely recognizable.

Aella saw what I was staring at and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, gross. Ty knows better. But whatever, it's his turn to clean the kitchen." I bit back a laugh. Ty was the youngest out of Aella's three cousins and the only boy in the household, and like Bea and Deirdre, Aella viewed him as her sibling. They bickered more on a daily basis than Ian and I did in a year.

"Are we taking your car?" I asked suddenly, looking back to Aella. She was raking her hands through her hair absently. My mind was back on Ian now, and I needed to get home.

"What, you want to take Beater?" came a voice from the doorway. "You can take the Volvo if you're good to her."

I blinked, and Aella jumped, whirling around to face Bea. Aella's oldest cousin had a kind of elegance about her that most people never achieved in their lifetime. She was almost six feet tall and had the poise of a model, with long legs and arms and razor-sharp cheekbones. Her tawny skin was covered with a thin sheen of sweat from her jog, and she wiped some of it from her brow before gathering her dark hair back in a sleek ponytail, eyebrows raised.

"Bea, you scared me to death!" Aella clutched her chest dramatically and pretended to stumble, causing her bag to fall off her shoulder and nearly slam into the kitchen table. "I was just about to call you. Ian needs us to come over, stat. We're going to go clog our arteries over at the Connelly house instead." Aella was already moving to the door of the laundry room, which led out to the garage, with the keys to Beater clutched in her fist. "And we'll just take Beater, 'cause I'm not sure the Volvo likes me that much."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's it. It's not that you suck at driving or anything, huh?"

Aella stuck out her tongue, which made me snort with laughter. "Screw you, Indiana." She pushed her bag strap and her bra strap back on her shoulder, crossing her arms over the sheer white crop top she was wearing. "Are we going or not?"

Bea cleared her throat, and Aella immediately dropped the teasing air. When Bea cleared her throat, she meant business. She ran a coven of twelve, so she had to have some tell to ensure everyone would pay attention to what she had to say next. Bea's dark eyes were trained on Aella. "Leave the cigarettes here, please. You know I don't like them anyway, and you've been going through them like a damn chimney, Aella May." Aella's pale cheeks turned pink as she pulled her Marlboro's from her back pocket and tossed them onto the kitchen table. "I thought you were were going to get one of those vape pens?" Bea eased herself into the room and pulled out a kitchen chair to sit.

Aella huffed. "They cost money I don't have right now, Bea. Plus, Indi and I are gonna quit together for moral support." I raised my eyebrows to let Bea know that this was news to me. Aella was the reason I had started smoking in the first place. She had offered me half a cigarette once when I was fourteen, and that was the end of it. It wasn't that I liked smoking, but it didn't seem like I could stop now that I had started. There had been a time when I had stopped briefly two years ago, but that hadn't been my choice, and it had done nothing but increased my anxiety.

Bea grabbed an apple from the table and bit into it, waving her hand to the door. "Go ahead, then. Have fun, you two. And tell your mama and your brother I said hello, Indi."

I smiled and followed Aella to the door. "Will do. Thanks for letting me stay, Bea."

Aella threw open the door that led to the garage with so much force that she nearly took out Deirdre, who sputtered and barely had time to backpedal in her five inch wedges. "The hell you doing, trying to knock me out?" she spat, storming into the house before Aella could apologize. I just barely saw Deirdre's caramel ringlets bouncing before she slammed the door shut.

"Bad day at work?" I guessed. Deirdre worked part-time at the local hair salon when she wasn't at college working toward her bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering. Aella shrugged and twisted her blue hair around her fingers.

"Probably. This one old lady came in the other day and requested someone else because she didn't think Deirdre, and I quote, 'could cut her hair the right way because she was used to doing a _certain_ hair type'."

I shot Aella an incredulous look and went around to the other side of her tri-colored Honda Civic, pulling open the rusted door with little difficulty today. "That's bullshit," I said hotly, sinking into the worn passenger seat. Aella climbed into the driver's side and nodded. "People are fucking stupid. Deirdre is the best hair dresser in the salon, and everyone knows it."

"I know. But yeah, if someone said something like that to me, I would be pretty pissed too. Whatever's bothering her, Bea will talk to her about it in a second, no doubt. Before Ty comes downstairs from his eat-the-whole-damn-kitchen study session." Aella turned the key in the ignition and Beater sputtered to life. Luckily the garage door was still open, because Aella had forgotten the clicker. She backed out clumsily, nearly taking out the garbage cans at the end of the driveway.

When we had finally safely backed out of the driveway, Aella rolled down the windows. I was so thankful that summer was here-the warm, sticky California heat pooled into the car and whipped my hair around my face. I quickly tied it back with the rubber band on my wrist and then let my arm hang out the window, resting my head on the back of the seat and closing my eyes. My thoughts were immediately back to my brother as the silence overtook us. "Have you texted Kai yet?" I asked after a couple heartbeats. My brother's boyfriend hated doing anything last second-he was orderly in all the ways Ian was reckless. My brother would honestly forget to feed himself half the time if it wasn't for Kai nagging him.

"Nah, remember? I was too busy getting chewed out by Bea for my cigarettes." Aella scowled and put on her Ray Bans, sunlight streaming across her face. "Like every day of my life. I know it's a bad habit and I'm stupid for starting in the first place. Remember when we thought it was cool?" She shook her head and then switched tracks. "You wanna text Kai for me? He'll freak the hell out if we don't give him at least a fifteen minute notice of what our plans are-you know how he gets." I knew exactly how Kai got. We'd known each other for years, ever since we were twelve, actually. The Padgetts had moved to Fresno with the intention of homeschooling Kai and his younger sister Quinn, but they had both been stubborn and refused the idea, wanting to attend public school. My brother and Kai had hit it off immediately, becoming best friends from their first conversation, and by the time Ian was fourteen and Kai was fifteen, it became clear to the both of them that what they had ran deeper than friendship. And nearly four and a half years later, Ian and Kai were still together.

I shot Kai a quick text explaining what was going on and requesting Chinese food, but as we continued to drive, I didn't get a response. I frowned. Kai was an instantaneous responder-he didn't like to worry people, unlike Ian, who would sometimes wait five hours before he graced you with a response. I decided that it didn't really matter. There was a good possibility that he was surfing two and a half hours away at the nearest beach , in which case, he wouldn't be around his phone for a good while. "I texted him, but he hasn't texted back," I informed Aella around a yawn.

She wrinkled her nose. "Oh _really_, Kai? You chose this moment not to have your phone glued to your hand?" She looked over at me. "We need double grease tonight, and he is ruining my fucking mellow."

I let out a long, loud laugh that made Aella give me her shark grin-all pearly white teeth. "Did you just say _mellow_?" I gasped, clutching my stomach. "Jesus, I feel like I just got hit with 90s regurgitation."

"Shut up. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

We were so busy laughing that I almost missed Aella putting on her blinker to turn down our street. We lived off of the Huntington Boulevard on the Alta Vista Tract, down a little road called East Balch Avenue. The houses on our street were all old and covered in ivy, built in the early 1900s during the famous Arts and Crafts era. Ivy clung to the walls of our house in particular and slithered over one side, swallowing the windows and climbing to the roof. We had inherited the place from my grandparents, who had inherited it from my great-grandparents before them, and maintenance had never been my mom's strong suit. She said the ivy gave the building character. Ian told her that the building would have a lot of fucking character when the ivy swallowed it whole with us inside.

"Have you heard anything back?" Aella asked me quietly after we had calmed down, and for a moment, I thought she was talking about Kai. But no, the tone of her voice was too soft, too careful for that. I looked over at her as we pulled into my driveway.

She was referring to the letter that I had sent. It had been a pathetic atttempt, really, at getting help. My brother needed treatments. Hodgkin's lymphoma was no joke, and Ian had been diagnosed as Stage III. If I didn't try to do something, there was a good chance that my twin would die. We had tried everything-GoFundMe accounts and raising money the best we could, but the fact remained that we weren't well-known in the community, and for what we were known, we weren't liked.

So I had resorted to something I vowed I would never do-trying to contact the father that had never wanted us.

Ian and I were illigitimate children, and we had known that we were from a very young age. It was hard to ignore the fact when your father ran a consulting firm that had made him a millionaire and an icon in the public's eyes.

When my mother had met Cameron Parrish, he was on a business trip in Indiana and she was working in a local diner as a waitress. She had waited on him, and he had been enraptured by her dimpled grin and bright red hair. He had been charming, my mother always told me. He had a nice laugh and knew just the words to say. He told her his name, but my mother had never been one to keep up with the news. She knew him by Cameron, not a big-shot owner of a consulting company that was worth more than the town she lived in, and he seemed to like that. They exchanged numbers, but after a few commutes to Indiana, my mother discovered my father's wedding ring stuffed in a pair of his jeans.

She was devestated, to say the least, and she called off the relationship immediately. My father disappeared after that, returning to his L.A. home and his wife and his small son. My mom still had her diner job, and for a while, she tried to go about life as ususal. Until, of course, she realized that she was pregnant with Ian and I. She tried to reach out to my father, but he refused to acknowledge that we were his children, claiming that he had never met the crazy woman in Indiana who accused him of fathering her fraternal twins. At that point, she didn't want anything to do with him, either, but her longing for my brother and I to have stability in out lives outweighed what she wanted, so she tried to make him see reason. His wife scoffed at the rumors, as did the press, and it wasn't long until my mother became a side-show, the waitress who claimed to be the mother of Cameron Parrish's illegitmate children.

We were a spectacle, and my mother couldn't take it. She had named me Indiana after the good memories she had in the state, her own childhood and family weighing in on the decision to connect me to her roots in a very solid way, but we couldn't stay in the place I was named after. So at age two, my mother packed what little we had and moved us into our grandparent's house in Fresno, which was occupied solely by my grandfather at the time since my grandmother had died of a heart attack the year before. He had relinquished the house to us after a few years, perferring a little cottage that he built by hand in a more rural part of the state, and then Mom, Ian, and I were left to our own devices.

Through everything, my mother provided for us and loved us, working two or three jobs at a time occasional just to keep us afloat. She had said on multiple occasions that one day, our father would look back on his life and regret not being there for us. And then she told us that she was lucky, because she was the one who had gotten to see us grow up, and it was something our dad would never know for himself.

My childhood longing to know my father had been extinguished years ago, especially after the truth about him was revealed. I never thought I would need him for anything, but that was before Ian's diagnosis hit us all in the face like a bad punch. That was before the doctors whispered how much the expenses for his treatments would be, treatments that would cost more because we didn't have health insurance. We couldn't _afford_ health insurance, and there was no way we could pay for the treatments out of pocket.

My brother was too proud to ask anyone for help, but sometimes, I saw fear flash in his eyes and I knew that he wanted to live, more than anything. My mother knew me too well and warned me against any contact, saying that nothing would come of it. We would fix this ourserselves, like we always did. I didn't have the heart to tell her that there was no way we could fix this by ourselves, not this time. Ian was dying, and we were scrabbling for a solution. So I wrote a letter to my father after researching him a bit more in depth, finding his home address and his work address online.

But so far, he hadn't responded. And I was beginning to think he never would.

I shook my head slowly as Aella stared at me, my lips unable to even form the words. Gaining my father's pity had been a last-ditch effort, and if it fell through, I had no idea what I would do. I couldn't bear to lose Ian, though. "Let's just...can we go inside?" I asked quietly when I had finally regained my voice, and before Aella could answer, I was already opening the door and stepping out of the car.

Aella quickly followed suit and walked around to my side of Beater, her lips pursed as she latched onto my wrist. "Hey, I get it, Indi. Alright? Just let me know if something changes." Her hazel eyes were worried. "You know we'd do anything in the world for you and Ian, right? I wish we could do more, to get his treatments paid for..."

I gave Aella a quick, genuine smile. "I know." I pulled my wrist from her grasp and nodded to the house. "Come on."

We walked up the uneven concrete driveway side by side, our arms brushing. I was thankful I wasn't wearing so many layers today-I had been self-conscious about being rail-thin for most of my life, so I tended to bury myself in layer upon layer of clothing. Today was simple, though-I had my black David Bowie T-shirt tucked into a silver, ruffly tulle skirt, and a pair of knee-high black socks covered the long, pale expanse of my legs. My feet were tucked into my favorite pair of black stiletto-heeled ankle boots, the ones that laced up around my ankles so I wasn't likely to sprain anything. The outfit was one of the few in my summer waredrobe. Even though we lived in California, it wasn't odd for me to be wearing baggy sweatshirts and sweaters in the middle of the summer. Aella always told me that I was crazy, and she tried to wear the least amount of clothes possible during the warm months to even out my lack of exposure.

I glanced over at her as I opened the front door, lips twisting into a grimace. There was a good probability that Ian wouldn't be happy to see us, especially after his conversation with Mom. He didn't want to seem weak-it was in his nature to be independent and self-sufficient, and mostly, I tried to respect that. Tonight was one of the exceptions.

The house was silent. Aella had her bag slung over her shoulder and her lips were pushed out in a contemplating pout as she tilted her head to the side. My eyebrows raised. Normally, if Ian was home alone, he had every contraption that was capable over making noise on. It wasn't unusual for me to come into the house some days and be greeted by the tea kettle whistling, the T.V. blaring, and the radio in Ian's room pumping an all-too-familiar bass. Silence made my twin uncomfortable. "It's like I'm just waiting for something bad to happen," he had told me once. "The calm before the storm."

I motioned for Aella to follow me into the living room. Unlike the Mavers' household, our home was very sparsely furnished. In the living room, there was a couch that looked similiar to a huge toasted marshmellow, complete with odd brown dirt patches, several mismatched armchairs and a tiny coffee table, and there was a modest T.V. sitting on stand we had found at Goodwill. The wooden floors were nice, at least-Ian had redone them last year, polishing them in a way that made them seem almost new. Ian had loved to keep everything maintenanced before he got sick-the grass was mown and the the trash was taken out, the floors were polished and repairs were made. He told me that it was the least he could do, since he didn't have a job like Mom and I did.

The living room was empty and dark, so I moved further into the house, stepping over a huge pile of movies scattered across the floor and trudging up the back staircase. The silence was deafening. I didn't check to make sure Aella was behind me, knowing she would follow me up if she wanted to.

I bit back a curse as I nearly tripped over one of my mother's heels which was, for whatever reason, laying on the steps. Rolling my eyes, I picked up the offending object and carried it up with me the rest of the way. Promise, our Australian sheperd, had probably dragged it from Mom's closet and then thought better of chewing it up. I frowned when I reached the top of the stairs. My mom's room was the first room on the left, and her door was predictably ajar, but that wasn't what I was frowning at. I tossed the heel onto her bed and then turned to move further down the hallway, pausing in front of Ian's door. Ian, who never left his door open, not for anything. But there was the white wooden door, cracked open with Ian's ratty rug bunched underneath it. I didn't even think before I pushed open the door, a question already on my lips, and was greeted by the sight of Kai Padgett straddling my brother on the bed in nothing but his black skinny jeans.

I backpedaled so quickly that my back careened into the door, causing the door itself to slam into the wall behind me. Kai nearly fell off my brother's lap in surprise. His blue eyes were comically wide when he turned around to face me, his pale skin turning pink almost immediately, showing just how mortified he was. Ian, on the other hand, was angry. I just barely saw his too-skinny frame and the fire in his eyes before he was spouting profanities. "The _fuck_, Indi?" he barked, his fists curled around his bedsheets. "Ever heard of knocking?"

I averted my eyes and finally managed to escape the room, my face flushed in embarrassment. _That _was why Kai hadn't been answering his phone. I should have figured he was with Ian, who hated cell phones almost as much as he hated dairy products or our absent father. I pressed my back against the wall behind me and tried to blink the image of Kai on top of Ian out of my head. Aella was standing in front of me, breathing heavily. She held up Kai's cell phone pointedly. "I was trying to warn you," she gasped. "His car is out back. Did-I mean, are they in there?"

I nodded. "They're in there. I was in there. Ian is not happy that I was in there."

Aella snorted and started laughing. "Big brother wanted an old-fashioned method of feeling better, huh?"

I scowled at Aella pointedly and crossed my arms over my chest. From somewhere in Ian's room, there was a muffled shout of: "Screw you, Mavers!" Aella only started laughing harder, leaning up against the stair railing to support herself. After what seemed like an eternity, the boys opened the door and stepped out into the hallway to meet us. Kai was still flushed, and he didn't meet our eyes. He had always been a more private person, especially when it came to the more intimate parts of his relationship with Ian, so I knew that he would be thoroughly embarrassed for a while. Ian, on the other hand, just looked more annoyed now than actually pissed off. Being embarrassed wasn't in his nature.

He ran his fingers through his red hair, trying desperately to tame it as he glared at Aella and I. His T-shirt was crumpled, and his gray sweatpants were slung low on his hips. Ian's look might have made me cringe if I was anyone else but his twin. I knew him well enough to know that 90% of the time, his eyebrows were drawn together low over his eyes, which made him seem like he was much angrier than he actually was. Ian was smaller and more lanky next to Kai-he was just shy of six feet tall, and the cancer had made him unnaturally thin. His jawline was sharper, and I could often count his ribs as they shifted under pale, freckled skin.

Kai was another story. He had broad shoulders and had a couple inches on my brother, and though he was slim, it was in a way that elegance screamed from every inch of him. It never surprised people when Kai told them he modeled. With his sad blue eyes framed by long lashes, his full lips, and his defined cheekbones, Kai had been well-known in the modeling industry since the age of sixteen. After he had graduated high school last year, he had signed on to model for a smaller company so he could stay close to home, close to his family and Ian.

Ian had a brief modeling stint for a while as well until his diagnosis was given, but he didn't love it as passionately as Kai. Kai loved modeling like he loved surfing, like he loved his sister Quinn-with an intensity that could light a thousand suns. It was also the way he loved my brother.

They were quite the pair, standing in front of us and trying not to seem affected by our intrusion. "What are you doing here?" Ian finally grunted, his eyes on me.

I knew what he really meant, but I couldn't help but to give a shrug and reply, a little hotly: "I live here, too, you know."

Ian's lips curled back from his teeth when he opened his mouth, ready spew a barrage of sarcastic comments my way. I continued talking so he could get a word in. "I know I was planning on staying at Aella's tonight, but mom called and said you weren't feeling well."

Ian clamped his mouth shut for a moment and then replied sulkily: "I didn't tell her that at all."

I rolled my eyes, pushing my thick-fringed bangs back so I could stare up at him with the most unimpressed expression I could muster. "Yeah, no shit. Like you ever would. She heard it in your voice, you jerk, and she was worried about you." _I was worried about you._ "So I told her I would come home, and Aella wanted to stay the night and order pizza."

"And Chinese," she muttered, shooting Kai and accusing glare. Kai shifted awkwardly and looked up at the ceiling before looking down at his feet."But _someone_ left their phone downstairs." She pushed the iPhone into Kai's outstretched hand. "Made me think he was surfing, since he always answers texts immediately, even when he's in the damn shower."

Kai winced. "It could be important!" he protested weakly. "You know how my mom gets when someone doesn't answer immediately. She would have the whole police station out looking for me within twenty minutes!" Aella tried to hide her grin behind a yawn unsuccessfully.

"Luckily for you," she intoned sweetly, turning to go back down the stairs, "it was only us trying to call to demand you pick up artery-clogging goodness." Ian huffed out a laugh as Kai glanced fearfully at his phone, double-checking to make sure his mom hadn't been trying to call him for real. "Come on, boys. Since you almost blinded us with your obscene, problematic activity..."-this was punctuated with a teasing smile over her shoulder-"me and Indi get to pick the movie we're watching."

Ian laced his fingers through Kai's and pulled him toward the stairs, grumbling about Aella's dumb ideas, but there was a smirk on his lips. Aella always knew how to diffuse a situation, even if that meant starting a new conflict. I shook my head fondly and followed them down the stairs, nearly stepping on the same heel that I had just thrown into my mom's room not even ten minutes before. I frowned and pushed it to the side, exasperation welling up in me. "Stupid dog," I muttered, taking the steps two at a time to catch up with the others.

Aella was already on the phone with the nearest pizza joint, her hair tangled around her fingers as she sat, upside down, on our couch. Her legs were hooked around the couch to stop her from slipping off, and her cheeks were turning red from the rush of blood rushing to her face. Kai was laughing at something Ian had said, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth like it always did when he found something amusing. He and Ian were crushed together on one of the overstuffed armchairs.

Aella looked over at the two of them and wrinkled her nose, making a slight gagging noise for emphasis. Then she frowned at the phone in her hand. "What? Oh, no, that wasn't for you. Yeah, we still want the mushroom and banana pepper pizza, and one with the pepperoni too. Yeah, sorry. I was looking at something puke-worthy, forgive me."

Kai was shaking with laughter now, and grinning, I took a seat next to Aella on the couch, trying to make sure she didn't fall off the edge when I sat down.

When she finally hung up, she let out a pitiful groan and threw her arm over her eyes dramatically. "Goddess be with me, that idiot thought I was gagging at our order when he read it back to me." She moved her arm slightly so we could see her arched eyebrow. "Why the hell would I order it if that's not what I wanted?"

"Why the hell were you gagging at _anything_ while you were ordering food?" Ian snorted.

Aella sighed and shrugged, which looked hilarious because of the position she was in. "Point taken. Okay, Indi-" she twisted to look at me-"what are we watching first? Horror or absolute cheesy shit?" That would be the rom-coms that I loved with all my heart. Knees pulled up to my chest, I leaned over and poked Aella in the stomach, making her squeal.

"You know you love the cheesy ones just as much as I do. But whatever, horror it is." I nibbled on my nails ponderingly for a moment. "The Conjuring?" I suggested.

Aella's grin was ferociously happy. "Yes! I haven't seen that in forever." She pulled herself up and into sitting position beside me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kai shudder. He wasn't a fan of horror movies that were based on supposed real-life events. When we'd watched A Haunting in Connecticut as a group, I had to turn it off halfway through because it was too much for him. "Something about it just messes with my mind," he had said quietly, squeezing his eyes shut. "If I watch something and tell myself that everything is fake, that nothing like that can happen, then it's fine. But as soon as it says 'based on real events'-there's too much 'what if' in that, you know?"

I didn't understand what he meant, particularly, but then again, I had never been very superstitious. Ghosts and the like were out of my realm of believing.

The pizza had just arrived when I remembered that I needed to check the mail. Barefoot, I slipped outside. The sun was sinking down over the horizon, painting the sky with hues of pink, gold, and purple. Despite the setting sun, the humidity of the day lingered in the air, clinging to my skin as I trailed over to the mailbox. My mind was still buzzing with thoughts of my brother, who could go from defensive and moody to charming in an instant...who was too thin and getting thinner and more feeble and less himself day by day. I was glad that Ian had called Kai to come over to cheer him up, because Kai was always a comfort in the worst situations. He always knew exactly how to respond, and he had handled the news of Ian's lymphoma with more dignity than I could have ever mustered. Yet Ian going to Kai for comfort instead of me _hurt_, in a way. I already felt useless, unable to help my sick brother, and his refusal to admit how he was feeling to me only reinforced that fact. But I had sent a letter that I hoped could fix everything.

I was met with something strange when I opened the mailbox. There was junk mail, sure, but underneath all the junk and the daunting bills that were reserved for my mother's eyes, there was a letter. It didn't have anything fancy on it, like I was expecting. There was nothing written with flourish, just the hesitant spelling of my name on the front with a generic stamp. My heart was racing as I gaped at it, forgetting momentarily to grasp the other pieces of mail closer to me. They fluttered to the ground like resigned birds. I ran my fingers over 'Indiana Connelly' written on the front, and then looked up at the return address.

It wasn't what I was expecting at all.

Instead of my father's letterhead stating 'Cameron Parrish', there was the same unsteady scrawl proclaiming 'Jordan Parrish' in the top left corner, along with an address that wasn't in L.A., but in some town called Beacon Hills. My breath caught in my throat as I ripped open the envelope and pulled out a college-ruled piece of paper that had the same hurried, slanting scrawl.

_Dear Indiana,_

_My name is Jordan, and if you've been doing enough research to find our father's address, I'm going to guess that you know who I am as well. I'm not going to lie to you-I read your letter to Cameron. I intercepted it, actually, because there is something you should know: our father is not a good man. He's done things, and kept things secret when they should have never been secret in the first place. I don't know when I realized it, but something had always been missing. So I did some sleuthing myself before I entered the military at 18, and I've known about you and Ian ever since. I never trusted my father afterward, now that I'm aware he actively decided to ignore your existence. I never wanted to do the same._

_I've wanted to contact you for years, but I didn't want to make the situation worse for you or Ian. When I was visiting my mother in L.A., I checked the mail and saw your letter to Cameron. I knew that I had to be the one to read it, though, because unfortunately, our father would have tossed it in the trash, or better yet, have it shredded, to protect his reputation. No matter his feelings, he would have ignored the letter and destroyed the evidence, because his reputation has always been the most important thing to him, over family and love and duty. I left home as soon as I could because I knew that was the case, but I'm sorry that you've been affected so much by his lack of responsibility. It isn't fair to you or Ian, and that's why I took this letter instead of giving it to our father._

_I believe you both deserve a better chance. That's why I'm telling you that I have a trust fund that was originally set up for me to go to college, and it should have sufficient funds to pay for Ian's treatments. I don't need it at all since I decided to opt out of college, and since I'm over 18, the funds are mine to do with what I will. And I would like to pay for Ian's treatments, if I can._

I covered my mouth with my hand, continuing to read.

_I work for the police department in Beacon County as a deputy, and I have connections with personnel in the local hospital that would personally monitor Ian's progress and ensure that he got the proper care. I would be able to watch after both you and your brother, Indiana, to make sure you have everything you need. I know that this is sudden and it might seem ridiculous to you. But I want to make sure Ian gets the best care possible, and I know he can receive that in Beacon Hills. I'd welcome you both into my home readily if you're willing to consider moving here. _

_I know we're strangers, but I'd like to remedy that. My number is written below, and when you come to a decision, just call or text me. Hope to meet you soon._

_~Jordan_

I was trembling. My brother. Not my twin, but my half-brother, the man that I had never met because of my dad's irresponsibility-he had reached out and did what my dad had never done. He had offered us help, help that we desperately needed. Offered to pay for Ian's treatments with his trust fund money, even though he didn't know either of us, and had offered us a home with him while Ian went through treatments.

The letter was clutched tightly in my hand, crumpled slightly in my fist. One hand was still over my mouth in shock, and maybe even awe. Maybe I should have been angry that Jordan had intercepted my letter to my father, but instead, I was relieved. I didn't think he was lying about Cameron Parrish's desperation to keep his reputation unblemished. He would have no doubt thrown away the letter if he had stumbled across it, but fate had put the letter into my older brother's hands instead.

I started when Aella swung around the doorframe and shouted: "Yo, Indi, are you debating stuffing yourself into the mailbox or are we going to watch The Conjuring?" She arched a perfectly waxed eyebrow in a way that would have been comical if my heart wasn't pounding so hard against my ribcage. I smoothly tucked the letter into the back of my left knee-high sock, trying to keep my expression unaffected. I would tell Aella about the letter later, but if I said anything now, her screeches would surely alert Kai and Ian to the fact that something very important had just happened. For now, I was just going to go inside and watch the horror movie that I had picked, and I was going to make popcorn and enjoy spending time with my friends and my brother. That is, if I could make my legs work.

I made a face at Aella after a second, which was exactly what she was expecting, if the grin that spread over her face said anything. I quickly scooped the fallen junk mail and bills into my arms from where they rested on the ground and hurried to the door, hip checking Aella as I entered in what I hoped seemed like a normal gesture. Her laughter confirmed that she was convinced, and together, we made our way back into the living room to where the boys sat. Aella clapped her hands loudly as we entered. "Alrighty, boys, time to stop whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears and get with the program. Kai, you have the popcorn?"

Kai shook the bag at her with his mouth full of kernels, fluttering his eyelashes. "Check."

"Ian, did you put the movie in?" My brother gave her an unimpressed look and let go of Kai's ankle to hit play on the remote.

Aella jumped over the back of the couch, landing much more gracefully than someone should be able to, and I yelped involuntarily. My mother would have had a fit if she had been home. Aella rolled her eyes at my squawk and motioned for me to sit down. "Oh, don't bust a blood vessel, Indi. I don't have my shoes on or anything."

"Like that makes it better," I finally grumbled, walking around the couch like a civilized human being so I could sit down next to her. "You're a menace, you know that?"

Aella flicked me and gave a loud laugh. "Yeah, well, we've all got our vices. At least I can look this good while bearing mine."

Ian cleared his throat obnoxiously and gestured to the T.V. screen as Kai snickered. "We are watching this, right? We're not going to talk through the whole damn thing?"

Kai adjusted his legs so they were more comfortably draped over Ian's and then swiveled his bleached head in our direction to give us a pointed look. "Yeah, you two. Do you want to see me crying by the end of the night or not?"

With that, silence fell over the room. We had the pizza boxes spread out in front of us, a two-liter of Dr. Pepper propped on the coffee table next to them, and in between Aella and I was a bag of extra buttery popcorn. The darkness and warmth of the room fell over us like a blanket, and my eyes became heavy. I curled my legs up to my chest so I could rest my head against them, yawning as the movie continued to unfold. Kai already looked jittery after a few jump scares, and even though he was trying to tough it out, I thought he seemed relieved when Ian wrapped his arm around him and pulled him closer to his chest. Aella was watching just as raptly as if she was watching it for the first time, analyzing every detail.

The letter crinkled quietly in the back of my sock, and I bit my lip and shifted slightly to readjust it. I wanted to pretend like we could all stay this way forever, watching movies and eating crappy food and just generally existing in this contentedness. I looked around at the others, and the letter seemed to burn my calf as I did. None of us had forever, but if I wanted to give my brother a bit longer in this ephemeral world, I needed to choose the right thing, no matter how much it might hurt later on.

When my mother came home after midnight, exhausted from her shift, I was the only one awake in the house. Aella was sprawled out as usual, taking up the couch with her knobby elbows and long legs. One of her arms was flung over her eyes and her lips her parted slightly. Kai and Ian were curled around each other on the armchair, so tangled that their positions might have looked uncomfortable to anyone who didn't know them. They were always entwined as they slept, though, one entity. My mother gave them a fond look and pulled the quilt off the back of the couch to drape over their motionless forms. When she looked over at me, she gave a start, surprised to see that even though I was lying down, I was still wide awake.

I silently drew myself up and off of the couch and pointed to the stairs. Nodding unsurely, her blue eyes crinkling around the corners with worry, my mother followed me up the steps to her room. I sank down on her heavy white duvet as she tugged off her waitress apron. Her eyes never left me, even as she slipped off her shoes and let her mane of long red hair loose from its usual ponytail. Promise was alseep on the other side of the bed, and she barely moved as I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled. "What is it, Indi?" Mom's hand reached out and pushed my mop of hair out of my eyes, her expression serious. I slowly pushed down my sock and grabbed the letter, trying to steady myself.

"There's something I need to tell you," I finally breathed, hoping with everything in me that I was doing the right thing.

**Hello! As Indi's story continues, it will follow the events of season 5 in an altered way, as my story Ignite and Extinguish followed the events of 3A in an altered way. Some things will be tweaked, added, or cut to suit the needs of this story and to make it as original as possible. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, even though all of the characters introduced so far, besides the lovely Jordan Parrish, are my own. Please leave a review to let me know how you liked this everything. Thank you all for reading!**

**~Harley**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: we're afraid of the deep dark truth

We hadn't told Ian yet.

After my confession to my mother, we had both agreed to keep Jordan Parrish's offer to ourselves for the time being. My mom had whispered that there was no need to upset Ian before we even knew if we were actually moving to Beacon Hills. "I'm going to call him," my mom said after she read the letter. Her hands had been trembling. "There is no way Ian is going to take this well, and if...if Jordan-" she swallowed hard, "if your _brother_ is serious about this, then I need to speak to him myself to see how this is going to work."

"You would come with us, right?" My voice had been small and hoarse, and Promise perked up her ears, hearing my distress.

My mother had linked her hands in front of her, too many emotions to count warring in her eyes. "Indi, I want to. I want to be wherever you two are, always. We've never been away from each other for long, because I know that we're better and stronger together. But I can't..." She cast her eyes to the ground. "Jordan is already offering so much to take care of Ian, to watch out for the both of you. I can't impose and ask to stay in his space. I'm the woman that came between his parents, whether he believes it was intentional or not." I had opened my mouth to retort, but my mother had held up a hand. "You two will be welcome, and you can go to school in Beacon Hills for your senior year, Ian can get the treatment he needs, I can work more hours to try to save up money to follow you there..." Her blue eyes had been so sad. "I would move with you in a heartbeat, darling, if we had the means to. But for right now, it'll just be the two of you. Ian needs this, and he needs you by his side to get through this."

I didn't know I was crying until I felt fat, heavy droplets slide off my chin and onto my hands. "I don't want to leave you here, Mama. You'll be all alone."

My mom had come to me then, wrapping her arms around me tightly. Her warmth kept me level. "Oh, Indi. I'll be fine, my darling girl. Ian needs you, and you need him. This will be a chance for me to save him. And it won't be forever, I can guarantee that. This won't be goodbye."

I had closed my eyes and tried to convince myself that was true.

But something in me always expected the worst. I think it was a coping mechanism, so when terrible things actually happened, I wasn't destroyed. I could piece myself back together and move on.

I was lying on my bed now, staring at the ceiling and trying to strain my ears to hear my mom on the phone with Ian's doctor, but the words were muffled by the thick walls. I rolled over onto my stomach and let out a sigh, my skin itching with a need to tell my brother what was going on. My mom had talked to Jordan already, and the details had been set. He was going to drive to Fresno to pick us up in less than a week, and Ian still didn't know what was happening. Mom kept saying she was going to tell him as soon as the opportunity presented itself, but between her working crazy shifts and speaking to Ian's doctor, she hadn't gotten around to it yet. It was already mid-August, and Beacon Hills High School, according to Google, started on the 21st. That didn't exactly leave plenty of time for Mom to break the news to Ian before Jordan showed up on our doorstep.

I groaned into my bedspread. I still hadn't told Aella or Kai, either, mostly because I knew that they were going to react badly and mention something to my twin before we told him, and then shit would definitely hit the fan. I was tired of hiding things, though. I pulled myself to my feet and took in my room, nostalgia already hitting me hard. There was a canopy covering my bed, a gauzy white thing that I got caught in more often than not, and pushed up against the wall opposite of the bed was my dresser. There were polaroids scattered across the top of its white surface. They covered almost every surface of my room, actually. Pictures were taped to my powder pink walls, hanging off of a clothesline in the far corner by the door, and even a few were pressed to my windows behind my flowing curtains. They told the stories of my life, cataloguing the years in a way that I could never write down.

They would come with me to Beacon Hills, a reminder of my life in Fresno and everything that I was leaving behind. But soon enough, I would have to leave this room and my house, the place that I grown up in. It felt like there was a hole in my chest already. I would start my senior year in a new school, by myself, because Ian was no doubt going to be home-bound.

My cell phone was pressed to my ear before I really knew what I was doing. The line rang and rang, but finally, Aella picked up. Her breathing was ragged. Instantly, I was alarmed. She sounded like she had been crying, and she never cried. Not for anything. "Why didn't you tell me?" she croaked, and an uneasiness settled in my stomach. I peered out my window and watched as the sun started to dip low over the horizon. I had been avoiding her these past few days, too afraid that I was going to say something. "Dammit, Indi, please say something."

"How did you-" I choked, my phone gripped tightly in my sweat-slicked hand.

"Bea knows things. I've told you for years that she has these feelings sometimes, and she's never wrong when she has them." Aella's voice trembled. "She said someone close to me was going to leave. She said things were going to start to change, that the balance we've known is starting to shift." She took another gasping breath. "And you've been acting weird this week, shifty, so I called your mom to ask what was going on. She told me that you and Ian are moving, Indi. She told me that you've known since the movie night we had."

"Yes." The word was hard enough to get out without the accusation in her voice. "That was you on the phone with her just now, then, and not Ian's doctor?"

Aella didn't answer, but her sniffling was a confirmation. "I'm sorry," I said, because it was the only thing I could manage to get out. I was sorry, and everything in me felt ripped out and hollow. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but we haven't even told Ian yet, Aella." I lowered my voice. "There's so much I want to say, to tell you, and you know I hate talking on the phone to try to explain-"

"Then meet me at the park. I'll call Kai, tell him to bring Quinn. And my cousins are coming, Indi. I need them there."

A heartbeat passed, and then another. I took a deep, deep breath. "Okay. I'll meet you there in fifteen. I'm just going to tell Mom and Ian that I'm running out to the store." The lie would no doubt fall heavily off of my tongue, but I wasn't going to stay around long enough for them to question it. "See you in a few."

"Yeah," Aella whispered back. "In a few." The line went dead.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back tears. So much for not telling them until Ian knew. I didn't want everyone to find out like this, but now there was really no other choice. I shoved my feet into a worn pair of clunky black shoes and shuffled toward my closed door. Today had been a day for layers-I was wearing a short gray skirt over a pair of thin maroon tights and a cream-colored, knit quarter-sleeved sweater that hung loosely off of my shoulders. I paused for a moment and sat down in front of my door, kicking off my shoes to put on a maroon, patterned pair of socks over my tights so my shoes wouldn't rub blisters onto my feet. It would be hotter, of course, but I was willing to put up with it.

I clunked out of my room and around the corner, nearly careening into Ian's chest. He scrunched up his nose, amused by my frazzled demeanor. "Damn, in a hurry?"

I pursed my lips, jitteriness momentarily dispersing when I took in my twin's good-natured smirk. "A bit. I'm heading to the store, need anything?" I tried to keep my voice light as I slipped past him, avoiding his gaze. Ian had always known how to tell when I was lying, though. He caught my wrist as soon as my foot touched the first stair.

"Okay, and...?" The smirk had slipped off his face. Something questioning lurked in his eyes instead.

I met his gaze slowly, exhaling a huge breath. "I'm going to go give Aella some of my cigarettes, okay?" I dropped my voice low to make it sound convincing. "Bea cut her off again and she's going crazy." That, at least, wasn't a lie.

Ian's scruntinized my expression for another half-second and then let me go. "Try not to get her into too much trouble, yeah? You know how Bea is when she's angry."

The very thought sent a shiver up my spine. When she was angry, she became Beatrice Mavers, the High Priestess and leader of the Fresno coven. And that in itself was terrifying enough without the threat of some kind of magic getting involved.

"It's one cigarette. One, not a whole pack, so it should be fine." I continued down the stairs, pushing my bangs out of my face when I reached the front door. Even though Mom was home, I wasn't going to take the car-that would only waste gas money that we didn't have. Besides, the park was within walking distance, and I had been inside all day. I needed to stretch my legs. "I'll see you later!"

The door slammed too hard behind me, and I flinched and immediately dropped the nonchalant facade I had been holding with Ian. My second lie had seemed to work better than the first one, but I could still sense some unease when my brother had looked at me. It took a lot to worry Ian, and if the emotion ever buried itself in his tough skin, it was usually reserved for me or Mom. Normally me, though, since we seemed to run on the same wavelength and I was prone to great bouts of crippling anxiety.

I was good at making people worry.

I pulled my Marlboros from the purse I had slung over my shoulder last second and opened the pack with trembling fingers, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between my teeth. It was as bitter as ever, but the familiarity of the motion eased my nerves. I began to walk, nearly tripping over my shoes at the end of the driveway as I searched for my lighter. There. Cupping a hand around the cigarette and holding back a few curses, it took me three tries to light the thing in the heavy afternoon breeze. As soon as the cigarette lit, I took a drag so deep I started coughing uproariously. A few birds took flight at the sound.

The sidewalk was empty today except for me, though there was plenty of chalk-art on the concrete to keep me company. There was a pink flower under my left shoe, and then a dog with green fur to my right. Or maybe it was a wolf. I smiled slightly at the drawings and then picked up my pace, aware that the others were probably waiting for me. My heart thudded guiltily at the thought.

They were all there by the time I opened the rusty metal gate to Woodridge Park, which was named after some big-shot with a lot of money that was no doubt long dead. The park equipment, like the fence surrounding it, was rusted so badly that I was surprised kids didn't have to go get tetanus shots when they left. There was an old swing set under an oak tree to my left, and then two slides and a merry-go-round right in front of me. Aella was perched in the center of the merry-go-round, biting on her lower lip as she watched me approach. Her eyes were red-rimmed like she had been crying, and her long lashes were still damp with residual tears. In the humidity around us, her ripped black skinny jeans and denim jacket should have looked ridiculous. Instead, her attire seemed morbidly appropriate, like she was wearing it as some type of armor. Deirdre and Ty were sitting on the edge of the merry-go-round close to Aella, their long, dark legs dusted with a fine coat of silt from kicking at the dirt beneath their feet-Deirdre with her shiny heels and Ty with his neon Nikes-and their expressions watchful and wary.

Bea wasn't sitting with them. She was standing by the swings that Kai and Quinn were occupying, talking in a hushed voice to the both of them. When she turned her head to look at me, I froze where I was. There was something like worry creased in her brow, and the sharp lines of her jaw tightened considerably. I wasn't sure what had Bea flustered, but whatever it was, it was something more serious than just Ian and I moving away.

By the look on Kai's face, though, it didn't seem like anything could be more serious than that. Kai always liked to keep a cool look in his blue eyes and an easy, gentle smile on his lips. It was his resting face, the one that got him discovered as a model in the first place. Ian often fondly said that it was Kai's sunshine expression. That face was nowhere to be seen now. Kai's lips were pursed and his crystalline blue eyes were squinted against the harsh, fading sunlight and the reality of what was happening. He looked destroyed. High color was in both his and his sister's pale cheeks, but Quinn seemed more composed. Her heavy-lidded blue eyes were darker than her brother's, and the sadness in them matched Kai's pain, although her facial expression could not.

I took the cigarette out of my mouth and grimaced at the scene in front of me. "Aella told all of you, then?" I sighed, my voice echoing harshly in the silence.

"She did. And I'm glad, too. You might not have told us until you were already gone." Kai's words threw me off balance, and I blanched. The accusation there was palpable. And to be real, he was just in making it. His fingers tightened visibly around the chain of the swing he was sitting on.

I had been hiding this from them, from all of them. Putting it off and using the excuse that they would run and tell Ian without my consent if I told. Which maybe could happen but...it wasn't likely. The truth was that I was afraid of their reactions, afraid of the pain and hurt that I was seeing now. The conflict made my heart rate spike, and all the words that I had planned on saying upon my arrival fled my mind.

"I'm sorry," I instead croaked, because it was just as genuine and desperate as when I said it on the phone to Aella. "I was afraid of what would happen if Ian didn't know first. He-" I swallowed, tangling the fingers of my free hand in the fabric of my skirt. My heart was beating so loudly that I could hear it in my ears. "He leads. He always has. And he makes things better when I don't know how to. Just this once..." I closed my eyes for a second. "Just for once I wanted to do something for him, you know? I wanted to take up Jordan's offer and help Ian like he always helps me."

My bottom lip was trembling. I felt like an idiot, standing there on the verge of tears. But under everyone's gaze, I was helpless. I couldn't explain myself like I needed to.

Quinn was the first to speak. "Okay, but who is Jordan?"

I let out a long, relieved sigh. Quinn was quick to get to the point, always. Aella, Kai, and Bea were the only ones in this small group that knew that I had an older half-brother somewhere in the world. The others had simply been told that my brother and I had a dead-beat father who abandoned us (wish was true), and that was that. Parental problems were respected and rarely mentioned, and so for years, Ian and I had avoided explaining our situation to Quinn, Deirdre, or Ty. There would be no more avoiding it, though. "Have you ever heard of Cameron Parrish?" I asked softly, coming to sit cross-legged in front of the merry-go-round. Ty and Quinn both nodded, but Deirdre simply frowned and shook her head. I put out my cigarette and took a deep breath.

And then I told them everything. I explained who I was, who my father was and what this all meant, and then I went on to tell Aella, Bea, and Kai what they didn't already know-the reason we were leaving Fresno for Beacon Hills. The letter Jordan had sent me was in my purse, and as the confusion on everyone's faces lessened, I figured that I would have to sacrifice my pride and privacy and pass the letter around so the group's distrust could melt away completely.

"So your brother is gonna set you up real nice and take care of Ian?" Ty finally asked after everyone had seen the letter. His voice was quiet like always, soothing even in the worst sorts of situations. Deirdre liked to tease him when he was younger and say it was his psychiatrist voice, but then Ty decided he actually _did_ want to be a psychiatrist after he graduated, so the joke lost its heat. I listened carefully to the tone of Ty's voice, but there was no contempt or disbelief there. He just seemed genuinely interested to know if Jordan was the real deal.

"He said he's going to, and I believe him." It was true. I had never met Jordan, but he had already shown more decency to Ian and I than our father ever had, so I would trust him until he gave me a reason not to.

Aella stood up, her jelly sandals squishing on the rusty surface of the merry-go-round. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, and there was a hard expression on her face. "I understand why you're leaving. I do. But I-"Aella dropped her hands to her side, and her icy expression fell away in an instant. Her hazel eyes were open, full of pain. "I don't want you to go. Or I want to go with you. I just don't want us to be _apart_." Aella's voice cracked, and she wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, trying not to burst into tears.

Kai hesitantly walked toward us, his lashes wet and his brow furrowed. His hair looked white in the afternoon sunlight, bleached even further by the dimming rays of light shining on the back of his head. He offrered Aella his hand, and she took it gratefully and hopped off the merry-go-round, nearly kneeing her cousins in the face in process. Ty and Deirdre scooted over, looking as miserable as I felt. Aella fell into Kai's chest and stayed there, letting him hold her. He whispered something into her hair and then grabbed my wrist, tugging me to them. All three of us held each other for a long moment, sniffling. I didn't want to leave them. They were my best friends, and they were Ian's best friends too. He had Kai had been dating for years, perfectly happy, and then something like this came along and crashed into us.

"Listen," Kai finally said, breath tickling my ear. "Listen, I know this is awful. This is awful and I hate it so _much_-" His voice caught. "But if you two stay here, Ian is...he won't make it. He won't, Indi, and you know that, so that's why you're going. I get it. I'd rather have Ian away from me and alive and getting better than...than staying here and watching him wither away." Kai pulled back so he could look both Aella and I in the eye. "It'll be better like this, okay. It will be. And it's not forever." Kai seemed like he was trying to convince himself. "Right?"

"Right." My hands were wrapped in the fabric of his thin shirt, and Aella rested her head on my shoulder, taking another deep, shuddering breath. Kai pressed his lips to our foreheads and closed his eyes for a moment before he released us, taking a step back. When he opened his eyes again, they were locked on Quinn. She was watching us from the rust-stained swing set, a tremulous look on her face. Bea placed her hand on Quinn's shoulder and leaned in to whisper something under her breath, and Quinn nodded, eyes never leaving Aella, Kai, and I. We had grown up together, all of us, and Bea knew each of us as well as she knew her own two younger siblings.

"We're going to Skype every day," Aella said suddenly, trying to rub off her running makeup. "Like, every day. No skipping out, okay? I want to hear _every_ detail of this shitty, tiny little town, alright? Spare nothing. Goddess, I wonder if they have a school where the whole county goes there because it's so small." Aella frowned. "Damn, now I'm jealous. Less people equals less drama."

I gave her a watery smile and then laughed. "I'll just have to see, huh? But no, I've been doing some research-the school is called Beacon Hills High School, and no, the whole of Beacon county doesn't go there." I pushed her shoulder playfully. "And of course we'll Skype. Like I'll be able to survive otherwise..."

We all spent the next few minutes just talking amongst ourselves, but then Deirdre looked down at her phone and pursed her lips. "Great," she muttered, annoyance scraped thick over the word. "Well, Tamika didn't show up for her shift again, so looks like I'm headed back to the salon until someone else can come in. Bea?"

"We all drove here together," Aella told me apologetically. She had to go. I bumped my shoulder against hers and gave her a tiny smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, though. We're still grabbing ice cream, right?"

Aella's smile was relieved and radiant. "Yeah. Yeah, definitely."

Ty patted my shoulder as he passed by me, which was odd because he never was one for comforting gestures, but nice. Deirdre gave me a quick kiss on the cheek as she walked by, her phone already pressed to her ear. I smiled and listened to her complain to her manager as she clomped away. The gesture warmed my heart because it was reserved for family alone-not even Deirdre's boyfriends got her feather-light kisses on the cheek. It was a symbol of lasting solidarity, familiarity, and the deepest trust she could express. Ian even let Deirdre kiss his cheek on occasion, much to his own chagrin, because he knew what it meant to Deirdre.

Aella wiggled her fingers in front of my face and trailed after her cousin, shoulders back and her head held high. The affect was a lost because of her jelly shoes, but I still appreciated the effort, biting my lip to hold back my laughter. I scooped up my cigarette butt from where in lay on merry-go-round and shoved it into my back pocket, freezing only when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end. I thought everyone had left-Kai and Quinn had wandered over to Kai's Prius, waving dejectedly before climbing in, and the Mavers had already piled into Bea's car. Except for the car's owner, it seemed.

Bea watched me with a scrutinizing look. Her tawny skin was illuminated warmly in the last few glimmering rays of sunlight, turning to molten gold. She folded her arms over her red silk blouse, continuing to stare like she was trying to place something. "I knew this was going to happen," she finally sighed, and it seemed to release a weight from her chest. Her obsidian eyes never left mine.

I shuddered. Her words were so sure. "You-you saw this?"

It never had been a secret that Bea saw things. Sometimes she claimed that she saw glimpses of the future, actual scenes that came to her in her dreams. Sometimes she just got inklings. I had always considered her psychic visions to be a factor of her insightfulness, a way for her subconscious to make sense of what might happen in situations of conflict. It had always seemed too far-fetched to me. Wiccan rituals made sense, and I was familiar with them after all these years. It was simply apart of another religion. But visions of the future? That was just too much for me to grasp.

Bea never let her gaze waver. "I saw this. Not precisely this, of course, but I knew that something would happen soon to take you and your brother away from us." Bea stepped forward suddenly and wrapped her fingers loosely around my wrist. "Ian won't handle this well, Indi, and repercussions of his reaction will follow you to Beacon Hills. That town..."

"You've been there?" I asked in surprise, cocking my head to the side.

Bea's smile was bitter. "I know it." Which was just as vague as I expected. Bea didn't give me time to ask anything else. "Things are going to change, Indi, and you will be left there to pick up the pieces. I'm not telling you this to scare you," she continued, and my stomach plummeted. "I care about you and your brother. I want you to understand that things are not always what they seem."

Bea let go of my wrist and patted my cheek. I couldn't find words. "Stay safe, Indi. Please." And then she was striding toward the Volvo, looking as regal as ever in her black heels, pencil skirt, and silk blouse. Bea's attire was always as put together as her words, but her warning to me a moment before hadn't been put-together. It had been serious, for sure, but fear had tinged every word that had left her mouth.

My mind was whirring as I stood there, staring at the mulch under my clunky shoes. The heat was making my tights stick to me with sweat, and each minute I stared at the ground only increased my discomfort. Bea's warning echoed in my ears on a loop, making my throat tighten in a familiar and dreaded sort of way. I took a deep breath and made myself take a step forward, and then another, until I was walking home on wobbly legs.

I needed another cigarette.

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Home wasn't quiet like I expected it to be. In fact, the moment I stepped into the house, I was greeted by a very anxious Promise, her tail tucked between her legs and her head ducked, and yelling from upstairs. Which was odd in itself, because my mother rarely ever got upset enough to yell, and while Ian got upset enough to yell almost constantly, he never yelled at Mom.

The dread I had felt at the playground was back with a vengeance now, coiling in my stomach and making me feel nauseous. I kicked off my shoes hurridly and took the stairs two at a time after I gave Promise a few comforting strokes. I was aware that I probably reeked of smoke, which I knew Mom hated, but at the moment, I didn't really care. I just wanted everyone to quit yelling.

Ian's door was standing wide open, and he and my mother were standing face to face in the center of the room, both looking furious and hurt. Their expressions were almost identical. "You could have told me!" Ian was seething, and it was then that I knew for sure that Mom had gone against her better judgment and told him the truth. "Jesus, am I the only one that _didn't _know about this life-changing decision? Did you think that maybe I would want to have _some_ say in moving away from the place where I grew up and all the people that I love?" Ian was trembling, hands clenched tightly into fists. His freckled face was almost as red as his hair.

Even though Ian had several inches on her, my mother didn't flinch. She knew my brother would never get violent with her, but the hard set of her jaw told me she wasn't fond of Ian's tone. They were both hurting so much, and I couldn't do anything about it. "You know I want what's best for you," Mom replied hoarsely, fingers laced together in front of her. "I want you to live with Jordan so you can get better. It's not forever, Ian. It really isn't."

"You make it sound so easy," he scoffed, his voice bitter. "We'll know no one, not even this guy who claims to be our brother. We'll be in a new place starting our senior year of high school and we'll have to be there without you! How is that fair?"

My mom took a step back, her bottom lip trembling. "God, it isn't! It's not fair at all, Ian, none of it! Don't you think that if I could-I would keep you here with me? But this isn't about what I want, or what we _all_ want-it's about what you _need_." Mom swiped away a stray tear. A couple strands of her hair had come loose from the low ponytail that was tied at the nape of her neck with a rubber band. She brushed them aside just as hastily as her tears. "There is nothing on this Earth that is worse than watching you suffer and hurt and be sick, and knowing that there is absolutely nothing I can do to make it better." Mom squeezed her eyes shut. "I need to do this for you, baby," she choked, biting her lower lip. "Or I will never be able to forgive myself."

My body was pressed rigidly against the doorframe, and as I took in Ian's room-all the pictures scattered around so similiar to my own, the messy bed and ragged futon in the far corner, the rock band posters on the walls and the tangled mass of video game cords hooked to his battered T.V.-I began to understand that we would be leaving all of this behind in a week's time. We had grown up in this house, learned here and loved here, and soon it would be only occupied by our mother. Soon it wouldn't be ours. The thought knived through me, and Ian seemed to feel it, too.

There was a desperate, broken look in his eyes when he finally looked in my direction, as if he was pleading for me to try to change Mom's mind. But Mom's mind was already made up, and mine was, too. I wasn't going to be selfish and stay here so I could have my senior year with Aella, so I could graduate alongside her and my other friends and pretend like my brother wasn't slowly wasting away. If Ian didn't get help soon, he would die. I would sacrifice anything to keep that from happening. Even the life I had here, the only one I had ever known.

I shook my head to let Ian know that I wasn't going to budge on this. I may have been timid during most confrontations with people I wasn't close to, but I had to be rock-hard when I told my brother 'no'. His face twisted, crumpled from destroyed to angry again in an instant. And then he was shoving past me, his too-bony shoulder digging into mine as he went. There was the thudding sound of him taking the steps a couple at a time, and then the sound of the back door slamming. Mom made her way over to Ian's bed and sat down, her head in her hands, but I couldn't comfort her right now. I needed to follow my brother. He had no regard for himself when he got this emotional-he would hurt himself by accident if he wasn't careful. And knowing Ian, 'careful' wasn't even close to what he had in mind.

I was down the stairs and out the back door like a shot, my long legs pumping as I followed Ian's retreating form into the treeline. I found him wheezing against an oak tree, grasping its trunk with both of his arms to hold himself upright. His shoulders were trembling and his knees were going weak. He sagged, letting the tree hold the majority of his weight as he stood there, helpless. His forehead was pressed against the bark, but his muscles tensed when he heard me approach. He hadn't been expecting me to follow him. "Leave me alone." The words were sharp as a razor's edge, bitten off in between labored breaths.

"Ian, I was going to tell you." That seemed like it needed to be said. I took a step forward, my hand reaching out to touch him. I stopped about an inch away from his arm. "I just needed time to figure out how. I didn't want it to be this awful. I was just trying to help you, because you're always helping me and I can never do _anything_ for you." I swallowed hard. "I understand that you're angry. I get it. But this will give you a chance to live. The others, they seemed to agree-"

Ian whirled around, and all weakness was replaced by a new fury. "_That_ is where you were? Telling the others about this before you told me?" I became acutely aware of just how much taller my twin was than me in that moment, and aware of the rage burning in his green eyes. I could have sworn that he hated me, just then. I had never seen him so angry before, and it knocked something loose in me. I was afraid. I took a step back as Ian narrowed his eyes and swung out his arm in a wide arc, gesturing to me. "Did you ever think that maybe I'd rather die here, happy, than go somewhere unfamiliar and be fucking miserable on chemo and treatments?"

I flinched like he had struck me and felt my lower lip tremble. "I don't want you to die." The words were a broken whisper.

Ian shook his head furiously, pain still dancing in his eyes. He didn't want to die either. But he was afraid. Afraid to move and afraid of the treatments and afraid of himself. And his fear manifested itself as this burning anger, this hurt. "It's not your choice!" Ian finally exploded, throwing his arms up into the air. "For once, would someone let me fucking choose what _I_ want!"

I don't remember where the fire started. It might have climbed out of the palms of his hands, or curled toward his fingertips from his biceps. I don't remember, honestly, because the shock of seeing my brother's arms engulfed in bright orange flames had been too much for me. I stumbled back, my mouth falling open in a silent scream. My heart was thudding in my chest like a drum, blood pounding in my ears. Ian, though flames were licking their way down his hands, didn't seem to be in pain. He seemed just as shocked as I was, if not more. He was trembling when he brought his hands down and stared at them. The flames were licking over every inch of his skin, but the pale expanse of it was seemingly unharmed.

My brain was trying to the best of its ability to explain what was happening. There had to be a reason for this, a logical reason. Because people didn't just spontaneously _catch fire._ Ian's terror was slowly turning into horror the longer he stared down at his burning hands. I took a step back, and then another, because this wasn't normal, this couldn't be happening. I blinked hard, my back pressed against the rough bark of the tree behind me, and tried not to scream. Instead, I crossed myself twice, trying to hold myself together as I mumbled prayers to the Holy Mother under my breath. This had to be a dream. Some twisted, terrible nightmare.

"Indi?" Ian's voice cracked. He reached for me, the fire still curling around his hands. All the anger had drained away, replaced by a fear I had never known. The world around me was swaying. A dream, I told myself, trying to slow my breathing. This was a dream. The fire slowly calmed itself as Ian stepped nearer, and I was frozen in that spot against the tree, trying to make sense of what was happening. "What's happening to me?"

"This isn't real," I blurted, shaking my head vigorously back and forth. A few moments before, I had been arguing with my twin about moving away. Now I was trying my hardest not to hyperventilate because he had just caught fire. "This can't be real." I lifted up my hand almost subconsciously to match the way Ian was reaching for me. Because no matter how scared I was, it didn't change the fact that he was reaching out for help. Whatever was happening, we would figure it out together. I tried to smooth out my breathing, but my nerves were jangling together and my legs had gone weak.

The thing that really did me in, though, was the light that came spilling out of my left palm as I brought my hand closer to my brother's smoldering one. The light was white and blinding, seeming to collect in my veins and then move along to the center of my hand. Ian's face was illuminated starkly by it, and his terror was a mirror of my own.

I couldn't help it. I took one look at Ian's still faintly burning palm and my own glowing one and then promptly passed out, my knees finally buckling.

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I woke up cradled in my brother's arms, his green eyes fearful as he stared down at me. My mind felt fuzzy. I tried to grasp why I was lying on the ground, the grass cushioning my body and Ian cushioning my head. For a moment, it seemed like I was waking from a dream. And then reality crashed into me like a freight train.

I scrambled up into sitting position so quickly that spots danced in front of my eyes. My heart was pounding in my ears, and I swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat. Ian and I simply stared at each other for a moment, our lips parted in an attempt to voice the questions we weren't sure we wanted answers to. Ian's arms were covered in gray soot, except his hands, which were completely black. I looked down at my own hands, but they were fine. There was no sign of the mysterious white light that had pooled out of my palms a few minutes before. I sucked in a deep breath and rubbed the heels of my hands over my eyes, trying desperately to think of something to say.

It hadn't been a dream. Ian had gotten upset, and then _fire_ had climbed up his arms. Fire that was his own, made from his own intense emotions. And light had come from me, warm and bright enough to match his fire. There was no logical way to explain this to myself. I had always been a practical person, but there was no way to apply practicality to this. In fact, I couldn't apply much more than fear to this. "How did we...?" I finally choked, still staring down at my hands.

"It's not possible. How in the _fuck_..." Ian looked down at his soot-covered hands out of the corner of his eye, like he was afraid they would ignite again. Which, at this point, seemed like a reasonable concern.

I wanted to laugh. Laugh at the impossibility and ridiculousness of it all. I had heard of twin telepathy before, but this was on a whole different level.

Ian rubbed his hands on the ground, blinking rapidly when he realized there was no burns or any sign of damage to his skin. It was still milky pale and unscathed. He should have suffered third degree burns. "Fuck," Ian breathed, squeezing his eyes shut as though he could make it all disappear. "What...are we?"

My hands were trembling. Some small part of me was still trying to rationalize this, and another part was adamantly trying to deny what had happened. Aella believed in magic and the Goddess and the Horned God. She believed in the power of the elements and the moon cycles and the supernatural. I had never allowed myself to look past what was right in front of me, because I had always assumed that the basic things were all there was. I could never suspend my disbelief. But now...there was more to the story. Ian and I were more.

I pulled myself to my feet and offered a hand to my brother. A few minutes ago, we had been fighting about leaving home. But now there were more serious matters at hand. Ian took my hand and pulled himself up, holding on for a second longer than necessary. There was an apology in his eyes that didn't even need to be spoken. Ian hated yelling at me or getting angry with me in general. "We're going to figure this out," I told him, giving his hand a firm squeeze. "Just...try not to think about it right now."

Ian bit his lower lip and looked down at his hands. "That's gonna be kind of hard, Indi, considering the fact that I was on fire and I literally felt none of it." His voice shook.

"We're going to Bea and Aella," I responded, turning to walk back to the house. Inside, everything in me was still screaming. I was afraid of Ian, I was afraid of myself, but more than that, I was afraid of what would happen to us if someone else figured out what we could do. "They'll know what to do." My words were light. Ian simply raised an eyebrow and allowed himself to be marched back to the house. My hands were still shaking, so I knew I wasn't really fooling my brother. Maybe I was just trying to fool myself.

"The Mavers are Wiccans, Indi. What makes you think they'll know how to handle _this_?"

I let go of his wrist when we stopped outside the back door. The sun was almost completely down over the horizon now, casting Ian's face into shadow. "When I was at the park a little bit ago...Bea said some things. She said that she _knew_ we were going to be leaving Fresno, even before anyone told her. And then she waited back after everyone else went to the cars and told me that things were going to change. She said that things aren't always what they seem."

Ian had a stubborn look on his face "That's typical Bea-talk for you. Cryptic and ominous. That doesn't mean she was expecting _this_ to happen." I opened the back door and ignored him, slipping back into the cool house. Ian was afraid of how the Mavers would react. I understood his worry, but they were the only ones who could tell us what was happening, if anyone could. They were the only ones who wouldn't send us to a mental institution. I shivered at the memory of a very specific institution and shut the thought down quickly before I could upset myself.

Mom was waiting for us in the living room, leaning against the couch with her eyes closed and one hand over her mouth. She was trying to swallow back tears, and the sight made my stomach churn sickeningly. We couldn't tell her what had just happened. She wouldn't believe us, first of all. Unless...I paused, and Ian rammed into my back, cursing at my sudden halt. Unless, of course, my mom already knew about this.

I shook my head, immediately dismissing the thought. There was no way she knew about our-condition. She would have said something. Wouldn't she?

Ian stepped around the side of the couch tentatively. All of his anger had dissolved, making his shoulders curl inward and his eyes lower to stare at his bare, muddy feet. I glanced down at my own feet briefly, noticing that they, too, were filthy. Mud had seeped through my tights and was squishing around against my toes. But tracking mud into the house was the least of our problems at the moment.

Ian placed a hand on my mom's shoulder and then lowered his head to hers until their foreheads were knocking. She wiped some of her running mascara from her cheeks and gave him a watery smile, blue eyes magnificently bright because of her tears. "I'm sorry," Ian said mournfully, and I knew that he was. He hated how easily he got wound up. Hated it. Just like I hated being put in uncomfortable social situations. His emotions just got the best of him sometimes. When he was was excited, he was ecstatic. When he was angry, he was furious. And when he was trying to be sly, he was as charming as they came. Ian gave his all or he gave nothing, and now, he looked destroyed instead of just upset. "I'm sorry, Mama. I-" He licked his lips and took a deep breath, pulling back so he could look her properly in the eyes. "I wasn't trying to upset you. Indi talked to me, and I understand why you want us to go."

"I want you to be okay. Both of you," she grimaced, rubbing her eyes. "There's just no easy way for that to happen."

"We need to go to Aella's," I blurted out. Both Mom and Ian gave me incredulous looks. Our mother looked more confused than anything else, and Ian seemed bothered by my lack of tact. Truth be told, I didn't possess much of it. When something was bothering me, you could tell. I was fidgety and easily worried, and the event that had just happened outside had shaken me to my core. I curled my hands into fists, afraid that the white light that had come pouring from them before would appear again. I still felt light-headed and my stomach was roiling sickeningly. "She called me," I said quickly, trying to hide the shaking of my voice. "She told me that she knew we were leaving, and she was really upset, Mom. Really upset. I-I don't want to leave things on bad terms before we leave, you know? We want to go talk to her."

Ian's incredulity slipped off his face and was easily replaced by an placid look. I envied his ability to pretend. He might have let his emotions get the best of him sometimes, but Ian was the master of letting people only see what he wanted them to see. If anger wasn't apart of the equation, of course. "Please let us go, Mama," Ian said again, softly. He let go of her and took a step back to stand beside me. She stared at both of us for a moment, her eyes distraught. I wondered who she saw when she looked at us.

"You can go." There was something like defeat in her voice. "But be back before eleven, okay?" she added. "You know how much I hate you driving in the pitch black."

Ian offered Mom his most winsome smile and kissed her cheek, ducking around me so he could go find his shoes. I kissed her on the opposite cheek and turned to go, but she grabbed my wrist and held on tightly. I looked over my shoulder in surprise. I wondered if she could feel my pulse going wild. It felt like it was beating in my throat. "Thank you for bringing him back inside, Indi," my mother said, pitching her voice low so Ian couldn't hear her. "I'm glad you're going to be going with him-he needs you." She let go of my wrist and pressed the car keys into my hand, a faint smile on her lips. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak again. How was I supposed to answer her? Ian didn't need me, not really. He had always been so good at taking care of himself. I was the one who had fainted outside. I was the one that needed _him_.

I slipped into the hallway and watched as Ian pulled on a pair of ratty old boots without socks on. I wrinkled my nose and said nothing, opting for a sad looking pair of sandals that were resting by the door. There was no way I was going to stick my muddy feet into my nice shoes. I passed the keys to Ian without a word. He knew I hated driving after dark almost as much as Mom hated us being out after dark. We didn't say a word until we were both in the car. Ian was clutching the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles bloodless. His eyes were distant, and the calm expression that he had been wearing inside was gone. I wanted to hug him, but something kept me from moving. Wariness, maybe? He _had_ been on fire not too long ago, and I wasn't completely sure if his fire would burn me or not. I wasn't really sure of anything at the moment, actually.

"Are you going to call Aella?"

I blinked, aware that I had been staring. "No. I-there is no way I can explain why we need to talk to Bea in person and not over the phone." I let my fingers curl around the fabric of my skirt, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. "Just drive, Ian. We'll explain when we get there."

Ian mumbled something under his breath that I didn't quite catch, but I didn't think it was very complimentary so I didn't bother to ask him to repeat himself. The drive to the Mavers house was uncomfortable. There were unspoken fears weighing in air around us, pushing on my chest and making it hard for me to breathe. The familiar scent of Mom's car was the only thing stopping me from having an attack. It reminded me of easier times-of being young and falling asleep in the backseat beside Ian, the lull of the engine making my eyelids leaden.

When we pulled up to Aella's house, there was one sole light on downstairs. My heart was thrumming in my ears loudly as Ian shut off the car and looked over at me. His green eyes were bright, illuminated by the streetlights outside. He threw open his door without amble and climbed out, and I followed behind him, like always. I felt sick to my core. What if Bea didn't know what to tell us? What if she deemed us insane and talked to our mother so we could be committed?

I shuddered and pulled out my pack of cigarettes, my hand shaking as I tried, futilely, to light one. Ian finally saw my struggle and took the lighter out of my hand as gently as he could and cupped his hand around the flame so the wind wouldn't extinguish it. Greatful, I gave him a weak smile and leaned forward, letting the tip of the cigarette start to glow before I pulled away. "Just give me a second before we go inside," I murmured, raking my hands through my hair. Ian leaned up against the car and glanced over at the Mavers house. It was as compact on the outside as it was on the inside, painted a bright yellow that would have been obnoxious on any other house but seemed to fit this one. I took another drag and let it settle in my lungs before exhaling and dropping my cigarette to the ground to crush it under my dirty sandal. That would have to be good enough. Time was ticking and Mom was waiting at home, no doubt fretting over us.

Ian pushed off the car, his hands tucked deep into the pockets of jeans as he slouched ahead of me, his head and shoulders ducked. I followed him, trying to match his stride up the driveway. His legs were longer, but not by much, so it wasn't that hard to catch up. "Think she'll have an answer?" I asked. There was so much else I wanted to ask but that would have to be enough. Ian shrugged, but the movement was so stiff that I could tell he was just as afraid as I was. I could always read him, just like he could always read me.

I knocked on the door, my shoulder pressed tightly against Ian's own arm. He was all edges now, brittle bones and easily bruised skin, but I tried to ignore that fact as I saw the porch light flicker on and then heard scuffling as someone worked the locks on the door. Aella opened the door a second later, her eyes wary and dark. The porch light made her cheekbones look severe. Her eyes widened in surprise as soon as she took in Ian and I standing on her doorstep. "Indi? What are you guys-?"

"We need to talk to Bea." Ian's voice was rough. Aella squinted up at him in confusion and then looked back at me. I wondered if I reeked like cigarette smoke and the mud I had run through. I wondered if I looked as haggard as I felt. Aella opened the door wide. She was only wearing an oversized gray sweatshirt, fuzzy blue socks, and a pair of boxers. Her hair was French braided out of her face, and pulled back like it was, I could see her dark roots starting to meld with the teal of her hair. She wasn't wearing makeup either, and I could see almost every freckle across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. She looked ready for bed.

"Okay...? Do I even want to know what this is about?" Aella questioned, stepping back to make room for us to come in. The tone of her voice suggested that she wanted to know _exactly_ what this was about. "I don't think Bea is asleep yet, but Deirdre and Ty are out, so she'll probably be going to bed soon. Hey, you know you guys could have called me! So I could have at least put on pants." Aella led us down the hallway and into the kitchen, looking like she really didn't care either way if she was wearing pants. Which was probably true. Aella had always been incredibly comfortable in her skin.

Bea was sitting at the kitchen table, wearing the same outfit that she had on in park earlier in the evening. There was a mug in her hands, and she had a crossword puzzle spread out in front of her. She didn't seem as surprised as I expected her to be when Ian and I stepped into the kitchen behind Aella. She placed her mug and the pen she had been using on the table and gave us a long look, which only made me more nervous. Bea's dark eyes were piercing as ever. "I guess you told him, then," she said pleasantly, and dread clawed its way up my throat. I was hoping she would somehow be able to tell what had happened when I chased after Ian so I wouldn't have to say it aloud. So I could keep some of my sanity.

I swallowed hard and shook my head. "No. I mean, yes, Mom told him, but that's not why we're here." I looked over at Ian, and he nodded for me to continue. "It's something...something much different, actually. Something we thought only you might understand." My throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

Ian could tell I was struggling. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and gave a biting laugh. "We don't know if anyone is going to believe us, but we figured that if anyone would, it would be you."

Aella was starting to look more and more confused. She glanced over at Bea and then back at us, her eyebrows pulled low over her eyes. "Um, guys, what exactly are you trying to get at?"

Ian stepped forward, lips parting. He held out his hand, palm up, and closed his eyes tightly, his brow furrowing in complete concentration. "Maybe I can just show you..." There was a beat of silence as Aella gawked at Ian and Bea cocked her head to the side, watching him intently. Nothing was happening. Embarrassed, I stepped forward and placed my hand in the crook of my brother's arm. His eyes opened at the same time a very small flame burst to life in the center of his palm. Ian blinked and looked down at his hand, swallowing hard, and I nearly jerked away in surprise. Aella took a step back, her eyes widening in shock. Bea pushed herself to her feet, and for a minute, I thought that she intended to throw us out of her house or take Aella and run. But she merely stepped forward, her dark eyes reflecting the flame Ian held in his hand.

Aella wasn't staring at Ian anymore, though. She was looking directly at me. She didn't look afraid-not really, just bewildered. Maybe that was a good sign. I looked down to see what she was staring at. My hand, the one that wasn't resting on Ian's arm, was glowing with the light that had been pouring out of it before. I gritted my teeth and fought back the panic, trying to the best of my ability to remain calm. This was so far out of my league. _That's why we're here,_ I reminded myself. _Because Bea can help us, or maybe at least tell us what the hell is going on._

"You're afraid," Bea observed, and I felt like laughing. Or maybe crying.

"And you're not?" Ian retorted, but there was no heat in his words. He was too busy trying to make sure the tiny flame on his hand remained there.

Bea shook her head slowly. Aella opened her mouth, paused, and then finally spluttered: "We always knew-I mean, we always knew you two were different. Bea told me that when we first became friends, Indi. But...she never said what exactly you could do." The light in my hand was incredibly warm, pulsing gently against my skin like it was waiting to be released. Aella didn't flinch away from us. "You know that I-I don't care, okay? I mean, we practice magic, guys. I've seen things that you wouldn't even..." Bea cast Aella a warning look and she trailed off sheepishly. "Anyway, this doesn't change things."

"Are you kidding?" I spluttered. I was shaking. "This-we don't even know what _this_ is! We don't even know what we are anymore."

"But you knew all along?" Ian demanded, his eyes locked on Bea.

Bea pursed her lips. "I knew from the very beginning that the two of you were very special, but it was unclear to me _how_." Bea gestured to the chairs around the table. "You may want to sit down for this, honestly. You're not looking too well, Indi." I wondered if my face was ashen. I let go of Ian's arm and slipped into a chair, the muscles in my stomach tightening considerably. The light from my hand faded as soon as I stepped away from my brother. Ian took a seat next to me, seeming just as uncomfortable as I was. He wasn't used to the feeling, I realized. He wasn't used to not knowing how to respond, of being unsure. In any other situation, that might have been refreshing. But not now.

Bea steepled her fingers and leaned forward. "When I see people...when I get snippets of the future, they're related to very specific kinds of people. From the moment I met the two of you, I could see tiny pieces of who you would become. And I was surprised, to say the least. Before, only people who were apart of my coven or other covens had a place in my visions. Because we delve into magic and have it reside in us-we're much more than simply human." Aella nodded in agreement, knawing at a loose piece of skin on her lower lip. "You, much like us, are more than human."

My breath caught in my throat. "We're witches?"

Bea shook her head immediately. "No, not witches. Your auras are different than our own, but you are apart of the supernatural world. More than human, and seperate."

"Then what in the hell are we?" Ian said, his voice hoarse. Despair clung to him. He wanted answers, and he wanted them badly. I felt the same ache in my chest. It was unbelieveable that Bea and Aella, and maybe the whole coven, knew that we were and we weren't even aware. We were in the dark.

Bea sighed. "I'm not qualified to answer that, honestly. I haven't been trained to be able to identify supernatural creatures based on specifics. That's what emissaries are for. All of my life, I've been surrounded by witches, and interactions with other supernatural beings has been few and far in between. But..." She met Ian's eyes, and then my own. "If I had to guess, I would say that you two have fae blood."

"First off, what the hell is an emissary?" Ian questioned, tufts of his hair in his fists. "And secondly-are you saying that we're fucking _faeries?_ Because that isn't funny at all."

Aella raised her eyebrows. "Apart of the fae, Ian. Technically faeries, asshole, but not faeries like you're thinking. Unless you remember the Tooth Fairy being able to catch fire."

Ian glared at Aella pointedly and then looked at Bea, waiting for an answer. I couldn't speak. There was no way that could be true. Bea nodded slowly. "Aella is right. Your idea of faeries is skewed. The fae are a large group, full of many different creatures. Like 'shifters' is used as an umbrella term for werewolves, wendigos, and the like." Bea rubbed her temple. "And an emissary is a person, normally human, that studies supernatural creatures, the laws of the supernatural world, and protects supernatural beings in their general vicinity. More than likely, they'll be assigned a family to guide and protect." Bea's dark eyes never once left us, and her voice didn't waver. She wanted to make sure that we understood and that we believed her. "Back on the subject of the two of you. Fae is simply an umbrella term, much like 'shifter' is. There are banshees and sluaghs, and many other types of fae that I can't even begin list. The problem is that I don't have extensive knowledge on the subject, not that I don't want to help you." Bea's voice was very soft.

"Why didn't someone say something sooner?" I finally asked. I wondered if Aella could hear the hurt in my voice. She had been upset that I hadn't told her that we were leaving, but she had been hiding this for _years._

"We were protecting you," Bea replied, not even hesitating. "There was no sure way to convince you that we weren't lying, especially if your powers didn't make themselves physically evident. And who was to say that if we told you sooner, you wouldn't tell your mother? She would have forbidden you from interacting with us if we suggested that you were anything other than human."

_Other than human._ It still didn't seem real. It just sounded wrong. But Bea was right-I wouldn't have believed what she had to say without proof. I scarcely believed it now, and I had seen it with my own two eyes.

Aella put the end of the braid in between her lips. "We just took precautions, Indi. We had to. We love you both, you know, and we didn't want to lose you."

Ian's cheeks turned red at her words, and he ducked his head to look down at his hands. There was no sign of the fire that had been there before. "How-how could Mom not know about this?" My brother asked suddenly, his eyes going back to Bea.

"Well, that's easy. She doesn't know what you two are because the fae blood is not from her side of the family." Aella dropped her braid and stared over at Bea, bewildered. This was news to her, too. "Fae blood doesn't necessarily guarantee that you'll have abilities. Sometimes the power that runs through a bloodline lies dormant for a few generations, and because of this, it's not uncommon that the parents of fae children will possess nothing but human qualities." Bea drew a circle around the rim of her tea mug thoughtfully. "However, I've never had any visions about your mother, which leads me to believe that your fae blood comes from your father's side of the family."

That didn't sit well with Ian. He jumped to his feet, anger in his eyes. The kitchen chair scraped the floor loudly, making me wince. "Fucking fantastic," he seethed. "The only thing the asshole ever gave us, and it makes us monsters."

I felt like I had been nailed in the gut. Ian's eyes were full of unshed, angry tears. Cameron Parrish had failed us in all ways possible...But another Parrish had offered us sanctuary. "If Ian and I are...fae," I began, choking on the word, "then any of our siblings should be the same, right?"

Bea stopped tracing a ring around her mug and looked up at the ceiling, her expression contemplative. "There is a good chance that your half-brother may possess the same abilities that you both do," she agreed. "But because he has a different mother, there's also a possibility that he's essentially human."

Ian was still standing, his lips pursed into a thin, unhappy line. He looked miserable. I was mostly still in shock. This was so much to take in at once. I nibbled on my nails in contemplation, trying to keep my breathing even. Aella was watching me carefully, as though she was expecting me to not be able to handle what had just been discussed. Honestly, I was surprised at myself for handling this as well as I was. Bea leaned over and patted my arm gently, her expression fond. "I'm sorry we didn't say anything sooner, Indi, but hopefully you understand the danger we could have put you in by doing so. There are people out there that will..." She shuddered and pulled her hand away, eyes glazing. "Well, there are people out there who aren't good. Better to be safe than sorry, honestly." She nodded to herself. "Beacon Hills..." she muttered, and I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What about it?" Aella asked, leaning forward on her elbows. She batted her teal braid over her shoulder. Her curiosity was almost palpable. Ian didn't move from the spot where he was rooted, uncomfortably standing, but his eyes did flicker between Bea, Aella, and I.

Bea waved her hand dismissively. "It's just...very odd. The place has always been a beacon for supernatural creatures. I just find it unlikely for your brother to be there if his fae traits _haven't_ manifested. Indi, Ian...you will find that places built on ley lines attract all sorts of things." Bea and Aella both looked grave. "What I said earlier still stands-not everything will be as it seems. So be very careful."

My brother and I exchanged a long look, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing: _What are we getting ourselves into?_

**Hi, everyone! Thank you to those that have reviewed, and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Sorry for the delay in updates, but I had terrible writer's block for quite a while. This story should be updated more regularly now, though, so you can look forward to seeing more of Ian and Indi soon!**


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